The Across the Pond “Regaining Control for the Farmer” tour is now in the history books but I believe it will shape the future for many people. This week I want to share my observations along the nearly 2,000-mile journey.
There was certainly a common theme: The restrictions and challenges facing the next two generations tending the land are going to be huge.
The Rural Route Radio program that we recorded with McPherson County farmer Mark Lapka discussed exactly that. I asked Lapka what the toughest issue was he dealt with as a farmer. “Every day we must deal with and overcome challenges with the weather.” That turned out to be spot-on for this tour as well. Thanks to essentials like electricity we have protection from the weather not only in terms of the temperature but also agriculturally in our ability to provide irrigation when needed.
There are people who are called on in the face of the most extreme weather conditions, such as first responders and electric line workers, and regardless of the weather they show up. Farmers and ranchers are dependent upon cooperative weather 365 days a year. In all honesty, as a farmer you can do everything exactly right and one day of bad weather can destroy everything.
I had hoped to really gather momentum on our last three stops between Oct. 25 to 28, but instead we dealt with winter weather every step of the way. Near McKenzie, North Dakota, it was an all-out blowing snow blizzard. The crowd was light, but it was amazing as folks drove as far as 70 miles to attend. The last three days of the tour were a reminder that we can plan all we want but Mother Nature can create a need to be adaptable and maintain resilience. Thanks to modern technology, even people who couldn’t attend were able to see and hear the messages shared at these events.
Despite the challenges, I feel the tour was a major success. Andrew Henderson and Jim Ferguson are back in the United Kingdom with a much better understanding of the resources we have here in the states, the most important of those being the human element.
We had veterans like a 93-year-old Korean War veteran in Quincy, Illinois, who shared with me that the way things are going today in this country he is not sure the sacrifice he and others made has been worth it. That is one storm brewing that must be put at bay immediately.
I had always planned to focus on veterans at the last stop in Brush, Colorado, which is why I asked the All-American Beef Battalion to cook for this event. The All-American Beef Battalion has truly set the standard for the past 13 years on how to support the troops and give them assurance that their commitment to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness does not go without notice and appreciation.
One man, Jim Odle, has touched tens of thousands of lives and resides near Brush. The final event had people in attendance that talked about how Jim Odle had given them an opportunity to make their life better. Mike Smith of Holdrege, Nebraska, made a metal cutout of Odle and the frame recognized him as the leader of “God’s Cowboy Battalion.” Odle created the Cowboy Church on RFD. He is co-creator of the Superior Livestock Auction and provided the support Bill Brodie needed to create the All-American Beef Battalion.
The moral of the story is that no matter how bad the storm forecast may be, being a beacon of light in the night can provide the path folks need to see their way through it.
Editor’s note: The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not represent the views of High Plains Journal. Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of food. Get more information at www.LoosTales.com, or email Trent at [email protected].
